Sunderland skilled their first Premier League away day on Saturday, developing in opposition to a well-known foe in Burnley at Turf Moor within the first actual relegation scrap of the season.
Having performed the reverse fixture on the identical weekend as final season within the Championship, each groups had been combating it out to retain a seat on the Premier League desk come Might.
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Having confronted each other twice beforehand, Régis Le Bris and Scott Parker are not any strangers to at least one one other, and each squads had a brand new look to them following a mixed summer season spend of over £300 million.
Regardless of a powerful begin, Sunderland had been undone by the one two actual moments of high quality within the recreation and got here away from Turf Moor empty-handed, so how did Parker stifle Le Bris’ males — and what can we study from our first league defeat of the season?
Sunderland lineup
The outdated motto of ‘by no means change a profitable group’ practically rang true for Le Bris as he opted to stay with the identical group that ran out victorious in opposition to West Ham on opening weekend apart from Omar Alderete, who got here in to exchange Jenson Seelt after making his debut throughout the second half in opposition to the Hammers.
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Regardless of late health exams for each Dan Ballard and Habib Diarra — which we had been made conscious of on the eve of the sport — the entrance six remained unchanged and Sunderland went with the tried and examined 4-3-3 form which noticed the Lads marshal the center of the park in opposition to West Ham every week prior.
With the entrance three all coming off the again of aim contributions, Le Bris felt that sticking to his profitable facet was the most effective plan of action and allowed Diarra to push up alongside Eliezer Mayenda, forming the 4-4-2 out of possession we’ve all develop into accustomed to away from residence.
Opposition lineup
Scott Parker made a number of modifications to his facet after Burnley’s opening day defeat to Spurs as Josh Laurent and Oliver Sonne made means for Jacob Bruun Larsen and Lesley Ugochukwu within the beginning eleven.
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Trying to present some further attacking output, Parker switched between the 5-4-1 he deployed at Spurs and a 4-2-3-1, with a purpose to enable extra our bodies within the remaining third as they seemed to punish Sunderland.
Switching form supplied extra pure stability in midfield, with Hannibal rotating between linking up together with his lone striker Lyle Foster on the assault while additionally dropping into his midfield to help the double pivot of Josh Cullen and Ugochukwu when Burnley had been underneath stress.
Curiously, Bruun Larsen — while historically deployed as an inside ahead or striker — would usually drop in to kind a again 5 out of possession, which is one thing we’ll contact on later when Burnley’s defensive solidity.
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Elsewhere Cullen held the captain’s armband in midfield while the hero of final season, Maxine Esteve, retained his place within the coronary heart of central defence.
Sunderland rue missed alternatives
We got here out of the gate as early aggressors on this one, making use of some early stress by way of each our discipline presence but additionally in our skill to win early fouls and put the onus on the Burnley defence.
In what finally turned out to be game-defining second, Mayenda had the chance to mild the contact paper early on after a well-executed set piece which noticed Ballard lay the ball throughout aim for the striker. Sadly, Mayenda wasn’t capable of get a agency sufficient connection on the ball, which allowed Martin Dubravka to make a straightforward save to maintain the sport stage.
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Mayenda’s probability truly turned out to be the second most respected alternative of the sport with a 0.3 xG (0.7 xGOT) which was finally solely bested by Jaidon Anthony’s rounding of the goalkeeper within the closing phases of the match at 0.58 xG (0.83 xGOT) to seal the sport.
Mayenda will finally know he has to do higher in future and can probably study from the truth that on the highest stage, the distinction between profitable and shedding video games comes all the way down to taking each alternative that comes your means — as he did in opposition to West Ham. In Premier League video games, there might solely be two or three possibilities in anybody recreation and subsequently when one comes your means, you haven’t any alternative however to make it depend.
If we’d been capable of capitalise early doorways, Burnley’s raucous residence crowd would’ve been silenced, permitting the Lads to settle into their ordinary counter-attacking type and offering Burnley with extra of the possession.
With the rating remaining stage, we had been pressured to dictate play with their personnel on the sector and subsequently went into the interval with 52% possession — an virtually remarkable quantity for a Le Bris facet.
After a raft of summer season transfers, Sunderland have leaned greater than ever into the Le Bris mantra round enjoying quick, direct and fluid counter-attacking soccer so as keep away from relegation and break the mould this season.
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In consequence, over £150 million has been spent on rigorously crafting a squad that may get probably the most out of the enjoying type, by specializing in gamers who excel in transition however may also stand as much as the bodily strains of the Premier League.
Though the overwhelming majority of Premier League sides will see themselves as superior to Sunderland and can look to retain the lion’s share of the ball, groups corresponding to Burnley, Brentford and Wolves might look the opposite means and determine to drive us to work with the ball.
Regardless of that includes as the house facet, Parker positioned emphasis on Sunderland occupying possession and consequently stagnated the possibility creation from a Sunderland perspective.
For extra context, while the scores remained 0-0, by way of the primary forty six minutes of play, Sunderland averaged 52% Possession and accomplished 254/296 (85.8%) passes throughout this era.
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Examine this to final week, the place Sunderland solely accomplished 250 (77%) passes throughout the complete match and walked away with a 3-0 win and all three factors.
Though I don’t see many extra related conditions arising this season, Brentford managed a 1-0 residence win in opposition to Aston Villa with 24% whole possession and accomplished even fewer passes, with 128 (72%).
Subsequently, we will count on Le Bris to be engaged on this throughout the week forward of our subsequent residence fixture.
Burnley shut the door
Identified for his or her astounding defensive report throughout the 2024/2025 marketing campaign, Scott Parker is aware of a factor or two about defending a lead or trying to retain a clear sheet throughout video games at Turf Moor, and as soon as Sunderland conceded the primary aim simply after the second half started, it seemed like a good distance again given the dearth of probability creation throughout the recreation.
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As soon as Burnley received themselves settled of their low block system which noticed Bruun Larsen shuffle throughout to proper wing again and allowed Kyle Walker to function as an auxiliary outdoors centre half, they by no means seemed like conceding any pictures on the right track, not to mention targets.
In distinction, Sunderland had been diminished to enjoying all of their soccer outdoors of the Burnley field — about which Parker was completely content material for the rest of the afternoon.
By compacting their form and forcing Sunderland to play out broad, Burnley had been capable of restrict us to simply six pictures within the second half, all of which had been blocked. Moreover, Sunderland had been pressured into retaining a whopping 65% possession throughout the second half, and accomplished 280 (87%) passes — greater than double Burnley’s in that timeframe.
With each Sunderland wingers doubled up within the broad positions, neither Chemsdine Talbi nor Simon Adingra had been capable of exploit their tempo and dribbling skill, which resulted in a mixed 0% dribble success charge previous to their substitutions within the second half. Even Mayenda, who’s famend for his direct operating skill in tight areas, was solely capable of muster up 1/1 dribbles throughout his hour on the sector.
Synergy and familiarity
In opposition to West Ham, Sunderland’s new-look facet labored collectively as in the event that they’d already racked up a century of appearances alongside each other.
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At Turf Moor, nonetheless, issues seemed a little bit extra disjointed and the understanding within the build-up was a little bit off at occasions.
As could be seen from the passing maps all through this one, regardless of finishing greater than double the quantity of passes as we did in opposition to West Ham, the bulk remained ‘passive passes’, performed inside unthreatening areas and never wanting in direction of the trademark Le Bris triangles.
Though this was to be considerably anticipated, it’s clear that it’s going to take a number of weeks for the squad to click on and people ‘bounce’ passes we see within the midfield to develop into second nature for our most well-liked midfield three.
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In video games the place we’re going to be pressured to play by way of a low block as we did final season, the gamers are going to need to utilise the foundations of Le Bris’ type of play with a purpose to break down groups when required.
Trying forward
With Brentford subsequent up on the Stadium Of Gentle, Sunderland will as soon as once more look to reap the benefits of residence dominance and acquire one other three factors in opposition to a facet who’ll view them as important of their bid for survival this season, being underneath new administration in Keith Andrews.
Curiously, Brentford are one other facet who’ll look to completely cede possession to Sunderland in a bid to catch us on the counter assault, subsequently I wouldn’t be stunned to see Enzo Le Fée are available in for this one, given the extra time we’d count on to have on the ball.
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With the data that each recreation this season goes to be a tricky one, the Lads will definitely take a while to mirror on their efficiency and look to get again to profitable methods, with an array of harder fixtures developing following the conclusion of the September worldwide break.
